


gardenia

by aurai



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Maybe smut eventually but dont count on it bc i am a blushing fool, Multi, Named Reader, Nicknamed Reader, Reader Is Not Chara, Reader Is Not Frisk, Slow Build, Slow Burn, ok this is turning out to be a bit more angsty than i hoped but no worries it'll get better, only a little angst in the beginning, reader has anxiety but pushes themself through it, sorta - Freeform, then hopefully it gets happier
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-24
Updated: 2017-10-29
Packaged: 2018-07-18 00:19:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7292008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aurai/pseuds/aurai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You just wanted a job to help pay for your college fund. Why did everything have to get so complicated? Slow updates.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Heather

**Author's Note:**

> Heather: admiration, solitude, protection, depending on the color

Nerves. They don’t flutter through your stomach, but instead settle heavy in your chest, burning like acid until it’s all you can do to breathe. You’re lying on your back in the middle of your living room, counting the plastic stars stuck to your ceiling. Thirty four, just like always. Wait, no, that one just fell. Thirty three. Well, that’s new.

You let out a soft, slightly hysterical laugh and sit up. There’s nothing to worry about. You can do this, easily. Though you get nervous enough to start shaking, you’re good at talking to people. You’re good at telling them what they want to hear. You can get through this interview.

You stand now, and check the time. You should probably start over there. It’s at least a ten minute walk to the camp from outside the city, a two, three minute bus ride with good traffic (there’s never good traffic). Your purse is where you left it, of course, gutted out with all manner of pursely objects scattered around the kitchen floor. Nail cutters, chapstick, keys, sunglasses, phone case… where’s the phone? Ah, there it is, under the cabinets. Wallet, money, put that back in there, there we go. Hand sanitizer, oo that’s almost empty, assorted bobby pins and hair ties, bandaids, headphones. There we are. Now that that’s all sorted you can head out to the interview. You lock the door to your town house behind you and jog a bit down the grassy hill that slopes towards the street. There’s a bus stop just a few feet away from your house, and it looks like a bus is just pulling up now. How convenient.

You have to run the last few steps to make it, but you do, and sit as far to the front as you can, by the window. You can distract yourself by looking outside now. What a great way to avoid human interaction. Or should you be interacting, for practice? Whatever. It doesn’t matter now, you’re already almost there. It just means you’d have to cut off a conversation awkwardly, and you hate doing that. Oh look, there’s the stop.

As soon as you get off the bus, you can see the camp. The tents are largely bright and colorful, not to mention rickety and misshapen. There are so many. How many monsters are there? All crammed into a space smaller than the city you just came from. It’s wrong. Monsters need their own space. For the first time today, you feel a spark of confidence. Or, not confidence, exactly.

Determination.

You keep that feeling low in your throat the whole walk there, though the nerves creep back slowly and steadily as you progress. Already you can see some monsters have spotted you. You avoid their eyes, veering a bit away. You have to enter through the main gate, anyways. You examine it as you approach. It doesn’t look the part much, instead reminding you of the kind of gate a little picket fence might have. It asks you to sign in. You comply.

You keep your eyes on the ground as you make your way to the largest tent, the one with an open front. That’s where you were told to go for your interview. You hope that people won’t be looking in on you as you speak. You’re not sure you could handle that. Monsters are still somewhat intimidating. They only appeared about two months ago, after all, right outside of your hometown. It’ll take time to get used to them.

There are a few people in the tent, but they clear out when you get there. You feel bad, biting your lip. You didn’t mean to shove any others out.

“Yes, can I help you?” a soft, gentle voice says. You turn, and - woah, you were not expecting that. This guy is huge.

You clear your throat, but your first attempt to speak ends up not quite sounding out. You take a deep breath and try again.

“Sorry, um, hello, I’m here interviewing for a job position…”

“Ah, yes! I recall now. I apologize, my mind is a bit scattered at this point. I haven’t had my morning tea, yet. Would you mind if I…”

You realize he is gesturing towards a kettle, and you shake your head quickly. “No, go ahead. I understand. Lots of times I can’t really fall asleep without tea.”

The large… goat… man… brightens up considerably. “Ah, you are also a fan of tea? Would you like a cup?”

You smile uncertainly. “I’m alright for now. Thank you.”

“I apologize, we have a significant lack of chairs at the moment,” the man says as he sets about making his tea. “If you wouldn’t mind, you could sit on the ground, or we could stand?”

“I’ll sit,” you respond quickly, and do so. You don’t mind the ground at all, even though it seems a bit cool now from being in the shade. “Um, I don’t mean to be rude, but what should I call you?”

“Oh!” the man exclaims. “I am sorry, I didn’t even introduce myself!” He turns with a friendly smile. “Howdy, you can call me Asgore.”

Your eyes widen and you freeze up. This man is the king of all monsters.

He must see your expression, because his becomes worried. “Oh, no, don’t worry about it, please. I may be king, but as my child puts it, I’m just a big softie. If you could, just try to see me as an old friend?”

You nod after a moment, considerably nervous, but you’ll try your best. If that’s what he wants.

“You can call me Star,” you hear yourself saying. “It’s more comfortable to me than my birth name.”

Asgore smiles warmly. “That’s a beautiful name,” he says. “Us monsters have a special appreciation for the stars after being stuck underground for so long. I’m sure that in time, all monsters will come to appreciate your help as well.”

“Woah, woah.” you say, laughing uncomfortably. “I haven’t even gotten the job yet.”

Asgore sighs. “To be honest, it is very likely you will. We have gotten little to no applicants within the past week to help us in our plight, and those who have applied… their talents lie elsewhere.”

“They don’t do public speaking, you mean,” you confirm.

“No. They are afraid, rightly so, that drawing attention to themselves will make them targets of humans who are… less understanding of our predicament.”

You bristle. “But that’s insane!” You say. “How are they supposed to help if they aren’t… really… helping?”

Asgore chuckles. “They help in their own ways, Star. But it looks as if the tea is about done. Why don’t we settle down?”

“Okay,” you say meekly. The nerves return, full force.

“No need to be anxious,” Asgore says, somehow sensing your apprehension. “This will be simple, I promise.”

“Okay,” you say, and then the interview is off.

It is fairly simple. He asks your name, prior experience, if you would be willing to move into the camp for more accessibility (you would). But then comes the part you hate.

“Why do you want this job in particular, Star?”

You take a deep breath and shoot through your mind, trying to remember every point of what you had planned to say.”

“Well, I want to go to college,” you start off uncertainly. Asgore nods to encourage you. He’s smiling. That’s good, isn’t it?

He has no reason to smile.

You shudder, and exhale, the tenseness completely deflating from your body.

“Look,” you say. “I’m a human. I am, and I hate it. I’ve hated it for so long. My species, they… we’re disgusting. Sure, there are some good humans, sure we’re supposed to ‘look on the bright side,’ but I can’t anymore. I turn on the news every day and if there isn’t anything about how another black kid was shot by police, then there’s something about a new law banning the transgenders from accessing their own bathrooms. If there isn’t something that displays how racist humans are, there’s something about how… how people break windows of monster supporters. How any monster who leaves your camp gets ridiculed and possibly attacked. It’s wrong. Humans are wrong, and we’re so prejudiced we can’t see past our own feet…”

You realize you’re crying.

“I’m so sorry,” you say, desperately trying to reign yourself back. “I just hate how humans are. I don’t understand how we can be so cruel. I just want to stop this racism, speciesism, whatever, in it’s tracks before people start dying. Or, dusting. I know I can’t do it by myself, but I want to help as much as I can.”

When you finish, you sit for a moment, taking deep breaths.

Asgore leans forward.

“Star, my child, let me tell you something,” he says. You look up, startled.

“If there is one good human for every ten, you are that human. If there is one good human for every hundred, you are that human. Do not doubt yourself, and do not count yourself in with those who hurt others. I believe you will do very good things for my people.”

You look up, unbelieving. “So I’ve got the job?”

“You’ve got the job,” he says, beaming. “When can you start? We can allow you a few days to move in, and I apologize that tents are not quite as comfortable as -”

“Today, I can start moving in today,” you exclaim, excited.

“To - are you certain?” Asgore sputters.

“Yes. I live about fifteen minutes from here if I take the bus. I might not be able to take the bus with all my stuff, actually,” you say, frowning.

“Can you drive? I could lend you a car,” Asgore offers.

“Wow, really?” you ask. “Cool. Oh my gosh, this is a thing that is actually happening! I need to find all of my boxes, and -”

“Wait a moment, Star,” Asgore says. “Before you get moved in, there is something else.”

You pause in your plans. “Okay. What is it?”

“I’d like to give you a tour around the camp, if that is alright with you,” Asgore explains. “And I would also love to introduce you to the human you will be working very closely with.”

“Oh!” you exclaim. “I didn’t know I was working with another human, I thought you said -”

“I did,” Asgore interrupts, smiling. “But this child is a very special human. They are the human ambassador for all monsters. The one who freed us from the underground.”

You gasp, completely abandoning all pretense. “Frisk Dreemurr?” you exclaim. “I’m going to be working with them? Oh my gosh, what an amazing honor, I can’t believe - Oh boy.”

Asgore chuckles. “Frisk is very friendly, you have no need to be nervous. They cannot speak, however, so I will likely have to translate for you.”

“Do they use sign language?” you ask uncertainly.

“Yes, they do indeed. Shall we go see them now?”

You look down, quickly straightening out your clothes. “Yes, yes, let’s go. I don’t want to keep anyone waiting.”

You and Asgore emerge from the tent and immediately you see monsters, crowding around the periphery of the tent. They all shy away once they’ve been caught, save a few braver souls. You smile at them shyly. They seem curious, that’s all.

Asgore leads you to the left and a little behind the tent. As the two of you walk, he speaks.

“As you can see, this tent is the center of monster activity within this camp. People can come here looking for help, or directions, or to ask questions about the world outside our borders. This is also where I see many of my subordinates and make decisions regarding security and other pressing matters.

“Over there is where we’ve set up our temporary cook tent. All the food is prepared there by my chefs, and all monsters can share in that comfort. There are uniform dining times set here, but of course if you get peckish you could pop in there for a snack.

“Oh, and in that direction are the tents belonging to members of the royal guard. They all bunk fairly close to each other for ease of communication. It also means I can contact them quickly if need be. My tent is just over there.”

“This place is beautiful,” you say as you look around. “You’ve been able to do so much with so little, and in only a few months? You’re way more organized than me.”

“Thank you, Star. I hope you enjoy your time here. I know it may not be as comfortable as your home -”

“I don’t mind,” you say. “Really, I don’t. I’ll make it work. But what else is around here? It all seems so interesting.”

“I’m glad you think so. Over in that direction, the large brown tent there? That houses our only restaurant, which accompanies the kitchen. The owner, Grillby, had his own space in the underground, and was quite popular. Here, however, he must do what he can with what little he has. One of the reasons I need a communicator, like you. We’re hoping to seal a deal for housing to be made for monsters here. We can create our own small town for those who wish to stay, and for those that wish to travel the world, we can be sure to always have somewhere for them to call home, if they choose to return. For now, most monsters are not allowed to leave the confines of this camp.”

“Yeah, humans sort of feel like we have to control everything,” you say. “I get that, I’m like that too. If I don’t have a sense of stability in my life I get really nervous. But we go too far. We shouldn’t be trying to control other people.”

“That is true,” Asgore admits. “But I try to… what is that saying? ‘See the bright side?”

“Look on the bright side,” you supply helpfully.

“Yes, that. It is somewhat helpful for us to all be contained here, at least at first. If monsters were allowed to go wherever they please, it would become much more difficult to keep everyone safe while humans are still learning that beings like us exist. If we all stay here, at least until we have a set of laws to protect us and a safe place to exist, then there will be less harm done to my people in the future.”

“That makes sense,” you say. You muse on Asgore’s thoughts a few more moments before he pauses.

“This is Frisk’s tent,” he says, gesturing to a smaller red tent nestled in the midst of other bright and colorful ones. Asgore gestures for you to go first, so you step towards the opening.

“Knock knock,” you say nervously, reaching out to open the flap. Before you can, the tent rustles and a kid bursts out, wrapping their arms around your middle before you can even blink. You let out a small ‘oomph.’

“Frisk, what have we said about hugging strangers without their permission,” Asgore scolds, but not unkindly. Frisk looks up and gives him a pouty face - and damn are they cute.

“Hi, I’m Star,” you say. Frisk beams up at you, still keeping your waist locked in their arms.

“Frisk,” Asgore says once more, and they finally let go. Their hands fly through motions as you look on, intrigued. Looks like you’re going to be learning sign language. Hopefully it won’t be too hard. You took one year in high school, so it should be fairly easy to pick it back up again, since you’re remembering instead of learning.

“Yes, I believe so too,” Asgore responds warmly.

“So Frisk can - you can hear, right? You just can’t speak,” you clarify, turning to Frisk. They nod decisively.

“Alright, cool. That helps me out a lot. I was wondering, have you ever written a speech before? Or given one?”

Frisk shakes their head, and glances towards Asgore.

“It is difficult for Frisk to speak with those we are making deals with,” Asgore explains. “They try, but… well, they refuse to fetch a human translator because we are capable of doing so, but then they refuse to trust our translation because from their point of view, we could be saying anything.”

You frown. “Well I guess that puts learning how to translate on the top of my list. Right after moving.”

Frisk gives you the widest grin you’ve ever seen, and you can’t stop yourself from smiling as well.

Asgore bows to the two of you, and you blush a bit, wide eyed. He then says: “Please excuse me, you two, but I believe it is nearly time for my meeting with Undyne and I have a few things to prepare. Frisk, would you like to continue walking with Star?”

Frisk nods and takes your hand, pulling you away. You laugh, but then just as Frisk is rounding a navy blue tent the flap opens and you run into a tall monster.

“Oh, geez! Sorry,” you say frantically. You’ve lost Frisk’s hand, and they’re still walking. You try to get around the monster to catch up with them, but then she moves in front of you. You look up.

She’s scowling and hoo boy that’s terrifying.

“Hey, punk, aren’t ya going ta apologize?” she sneers down at you. You swallow, shaking slightly.

“I s-said sorry,” you say softly. “I’m really sorry.”

“Watch where you’re going, huh? What’re you even doing in this place anyways? This is the monster camp, in case ya didn’t know.”

She’s egging you on.

“I knew that, I’m here because I’m applying for a job, or I d-did and I got it so I -”

The monster chuckles darkly, one bright eye stabbing right through your body. “You got the job? When you obviously can’t handle yourself around monsters? Wow, Asgore must be desperate. I never knew he’d have to stoop so low as to hire racists.”

You try to protest, but she just shoves past you, a strong hand with smooth scales grabbing onto your head and pushing you out of her way. You look after her, scared, and her hips sway confidently as she leaves. You take deep breaths.

Frisk is gone.


	2. Gladiolus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gladiolus: give me a break... I'm really sincere

You stay by yourself for a while. You don't bother looking for Frisk or Asgore, instead curling yourself into a small ball and trying not to cry. The gravel stabs into your skin but despite the discomfort you don't move. You are not going to risk running into that terrifying fish monster again.

When you do decide to move, you unstick yourself from your position and make your way back to the city, avoiding any and all eye contact. It takes closer to twenty, twenty five minutes on the return trip. Suddenly you’re quite unsure about taking this job. Have you been too hasty? Maybe you shouldn’t move in. You don’t want to disappoint Asgore, but…

No. You square your jaw and practically slam your key into its lock. One monster being quite understandably hostile towards humans, the species that have treated hers so cruelly, isn’t going to stop you from trying to help.

The next few hours are spent dragging boxes upon boxes from the various places they have been stashed within your apartment. Living in the monster camp, it can be assumed that you’ll only have a small tent, so you’ll have to downsize quite a bit. Maybe you can rent a storage unit for all the things you won’t need.

Clothes go in one box, a mix of professional and comfortable. Then toiletries and necessities, accompanied by bedding. Your books and hobby related things go in another box, and finally, a small collection of items of sentimental value. When you finally finish, you’re left with five boxes stuffed out of shape and a pile of leftovers that you won’t be able to bring with you.

You realize you forgot to bring the car Asgore promised you.

Damn.

That leaves you to stack two of the lighter boxes and carry them all the way. It’s a mess getting them out the door, then down the hill to the sidewalk. A neighbor is watering plants across the street, and “discreetly” watching your struggle. You consider sticking your tongue out at them. You decide against it on the grounds that they will probably retaliate. You forget that not all adults are as childish as you. Heh.

It takes a sticky, sweaty half hour to lug your two boxes all the way to the camp. The ground outside of the city is rougher and easy to trip over, meaning your boxes nearly go spilling over a few times.

Here comes the unpleasant part. As you approach the main gate, you get a lot of confused, disgusted, and generally displeased stares from the resident monsters. You avoid their eyes. You’ve had enough disapproval in your life.

You do see Asgore again, and he shows you to where your tent will be. It’s a light grey color with a salmon colored border on the bottom. He gently reminds you to take the car this time. You laugh nervously.

Being in this tent is stressful. Before you ran into that lady, you felt very comfortable amongst one of the friendliest species known to man. Now, you feel like they’ve targeted you as an enemy. An outsider. Amazing how one encounter can ruin your day.

You realize you’re trembling, and get into the car before anything else can happen. As you drive back to your apartment, you try not to let the tears slip out.

The remaining three boxes fit just fine in the car. Before you leave, you drop by the main desk and leave a note for the person who rents the place out. They’re not going to be happy that you’re leaving so early, but if you have to you’ll continue to pay the rent for the time it takes for them to find another tenant. Not to mention you have to get the rest of your crap to storage.

When you get back to where your tent is, you see that someone has put it together for you. Even when faced with their oppressors, monsters are still the kindest creatures. You shake your head.

There’s a rickety bed frame and a small dresser inside the tent. On the ground is a thin, deep purple rug. Though it’s thin, it’s also heavy as you drag it towards the back of the tent. It’ll house your bed and dresser. You drag the boxes into your living space and untie the flaps of the tent, giving yourself a bit more privacy. You make the bed and fill the bottom two drawers of the dresser with all of your clothes before finally taking a breather. You pop out into the sun for a bit, stretching earnestly. Looks like the sun is getting a bit lower. The day really has passed quickly.

You stretch your legs and walk a few paces around your tent. When you emerge the third time, two monsters are walking by. They see you, startled. You give them a nervous smile.

You suppose that when the taller one speaks, he intends to whisper, but his voice still comes out pretty loud.

“Alphys, is that the human Undyne warned us about?”

The smaller one’s reply is much softer, but still audible. “I think so, but let’s go, Papyrus, Mettaton is waiting for us.”

They catch you watching them, and the little one - Alphys, you think - blushes furiously.

“Um, sorry t-to bother you, b-but we were just going,” she says.

“Wait!” you catch yourself saying. “Um, who’s Undyne?”

“Oh, you heard us talking about you, I’m so sorry,” Alphys says. “I - Undyne is… sort of my girlfriend? She said she met a racist human earlier today - not that you’re racist! I mean, you might be, I don’t know you, but um, it might be a different human? Heh…”

Undyne… “Does she look kind of like a fish? Blue scales?” You ask.

“Yeah!” Alphys exclaims. “She’s really pretty, isn’t she?”

“I guess I was more focused on how terrifying she was, but yeah, sure.” You reply softly.

Alphys frowns a bit. “Undyne isn’t t-terrifying! She’s just loud and happy!”

“When I met her she was loud and angry. She was mad at me because I don’t think she heard me apologize for running into her.”

Papyrus then comes back into the conversation, tugging at Alphys. “If Undyne said that we should stay away from the human, maybe we should leave,” he suggests nervously. You wonder if he senses the tension between you and Alphys.

You’re a bit cross at this point. You had hoped that you’d be able to put the encounter with Undyne behind you and go forward in this job with ease. Now it seems that Undyne is making sure that isn’t a possibility for you.

“Look,” you say. “I’m sorry that you don’t like me. I might not even be here for very long. So, maybe if you don’t want anything to do with me, make sure everyone else who feels the same way just stays away from my tent, okay? Because I really don’t want to have to be surrounded by people who hate me all day.”

They leave pretty quickly after that.

You’re such a hypocrite. I really don’t want to have to be surrounded by people who hate me all day? Monsters are surrounded by hateful humans every moment of their life, trapped in this camp for their safety. Maybe this job was a mistake after all.

You’re sitting on your bed with your head in your hands when you receive a visit from Frisk and Asgore.

“How are you doing, my child?” Asgore inquires. “Frisk was worried about you when you disappeared from their sights earlier today.”

“I…” you say uncertainly. You can’t disappoint Asgore, but then again are you really helping monsters like this?

“I don’t know if I can do this job,” you say. “I’m sorry. I just… “

“What is wrong, Star? Has something happened to change your mind?” Asgore asks. He sits cross legged on the ground in front of you. You find it a little funny looking. You don’t laugh.

“Earlier today I had a run in with a monster who got mad at me for running into her,” you explain. “Now I’m pretty sure she’s telling everyone she knows that I’m a racist. And I’m not really helping that view any. I met some monsters that told me about what she said and I got mad.”

Frisk signs something that you don’t understand. Asgore simply smiles, but doesn’t translate for you.

After a moment, he takes in a breath. “Star, I understand if you feel discouraged. I hope that you do not decide to change your mind, but of course if you do I will accept it. I will make an attempt to speak with the community if it would make you feel better.

You shake your head. “I might as well stay, to help, but I think I won’t be spending too much of my free time around the others. And don’t bother about the speech. I want to prove to them that I want to help you all. I don’t want them to tolerate me just because you say so.”

Asgore nods slowly. “That is a very noble decision. However, if they give you too much trouble, if you are harassed or harmed in any way, I’d like you to come to me immediately.”  


You shrug. “I guess I can do that.”

A loud sound blares through the camp - something like a horn. Both Frisk and Asgore start at it.

“Oh, that’ll be the dinner bell, Star. Would you like to join us?”

You avert your eyes. “I think I want to get cleaned up a bit. You can go ahead, don’t worry about me.”

Frisk frowns, but Asgore leads them out of your tent gently.

You sigh, and you’re alone again.

You muse on your own for a while, slowly unpacking the rest of your things and making your place feel a bit more like home. Steadily it grows darker, and more difficult to see. You switch on a lamp and your twinkle lights. It doesn’t take long for the general chatter - coming from the mess tent, no doubt - to settle and melt back into the cool, soft rumble of hubbub that is life in the monster camp.

A sharper rumble comes from much closer by. Your own stomach. You skipped dinner, it’s no wonder you’re hungry. You wonder if anyone would mind you skipping down to the mess tent to grab a quick bite. Hopefully no one would bother you for that.

You duck out of your tent and walk around the longer way to the mess tent. All around you the other tents are lit up from the insides like giant fireflies - the colorful ones especially glow. With all the light and only thin cloth covering it, the entire camp itself is lit with multiple colors. You’re sure it can be seen all the way from town.

The mess tent is hard to miss - it’s large and bright. Though there seems to be a lot of light flooding from the open flaps, it seems deserted - no one is inside that you can see. You slip in and look around for where the food might be.

Can you even eat monster food? Isn’t it made of magic?

“Oh, hello! Welcome,” a warm voice says.

You look to the source. For a moment, you almost believe that Asgore is the one standing in front of you - but immediately you know differently. This monster, though similar to Asgore, is a bit smaller, and more feminine. She wears a pretty lilac dress. She reminds you of your mother.

“Can I get anything for you? I don’t believe I saw you at dinner,” she says warmly.

Apparently, this woman didn’t get the memo to treat you harshly. “Thank you,” you say. “I’m just looking for something to nibble on before I go to bed.”

The woman smiles. “Don’t worry, we’ll find something substantial for you, dear. What is your name? I am Toriel.”

“I’m Star,” you say, frowning slightly. You find it hard to believe that there are monsters in the camp that don’t know your name.

“The human King Asgore has hired. I see,” she says, and as she turns you catch a bit of a knowing look in her eyes.

She says nothing more, but a few moments later she turns back to you with a steaming piece of pie that looks absolutely delectable. You accept the place she hands to you with a little nod of thanks.

“Don’t let the others get you down, Star,” Toriel advises before you leave.

“I won’t,” you reply, and then flee.

You sniff the pie. How on earth did Toriel know you like cinnamon?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Toriel watches the child leave her tent with a sad smile. She had not expected the response that you had given her. You seem strong willed, to her at least. She only hopes that the others will grow to see who you truly are as time passes. She wonders whether or not tomorrow is too soon for your first assignment from Asgore.
> 
> Elsewhere in the camp, Undyne and Alphys cuddle on their shared couch, watching Mew Mew Kissy Cutie 3. Alphys’ excited giggling is interrupted by a sour groan from Undyne.  
> “I just can’t stop thinking about that stupid human!” she exclaims.  
> “They seemed nice enough when I ran into them,” Alphys reasons.  
> “I know, that’s why I’m confused. What’s their game? What the heck are they doing here? This place is supposed to be safe for monsters.”  
> “Maybe just reserve judgement for now,” Alphys responds, and the two return to watching the show together.
> 
> A shadowy figure moves in the darkness outside of the camp’s borders. His eyes gleam as he glances up at the stars, and with a flash of electric blue, he disappears.
> 
> ~So Sans finally makes an appearance! A tiny one, heh. He won't be in the next chapter, but he might be in the notes so keep your eyes peeled! I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up, but it'll probably take a while. School's starting again for me tomorrow!~


	3. Cactus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cactus: endurance.

Asgore comes to visit you the next day, along with Frisk.

“Hello, child,” he says, remaining outside of your tent. He holds the flap back in order to see inside, where Frisk sprawls themself out on the ground.

“I’ll refrain from coming in, as I’m a bit too tall for this tent, and we will be leaving in a moment.” he says. “Frisk and I are meeting today with some members of your government to petition for structured housing. We came to see if you would like to come along.”

“Oh!” you say, startled. “Sure, of course - let me just grab my purse.” You take the bag from your small, makeshift dresser and pack it with your phone, useless apartment keys, and various other random small items that might come in handy. When you turn back you realize Asgore and Frisk were watching you. Your face and chest grow warm, embarrassed. 

“I think I’m ready,” you say.

“Good,” Asgore says. “We will be taking your public transportation system to the meeting. While we travel, Frisk and I will prepare you for the meeting.”

You duck out of the tent after Asgore. “I don’t exactly have a speech prepared,” you say nervously. Frisk runs to catch up with the two of you and slips their hand into yours.

“Oh no, we wouldn’t expect you to have anything like that,” Asgore assures you. “We invited you along to this meeting so that you can become acclimated to the process. You only have to speak if you want to.”

“That’s a relief,” you sigh. 

The three of you pass the gated entrance to the monster camp and make quick time to the edge of the city. From there, it’s only a short wait at a bus stop before one arrives, and you find yourself trundling towards the meeting. Asgore informs you that you will be meeting with the mayor of the city, the captain of the police force, and a few representatives from the state and federal governments. You try not to display your nervousness at the news. You had no idea that this meeting would be so important to garner attention from such powerful people.

You don’t even notice your fingers tapping nervously on your thighs until Frisk gently takes your hand.

The bus finally pulls up to the city hall. You clutch the strap of your purse and follow Frisk and Asgore into the building. The three of you are immediately received by a suited woman and escorted into a private room. You take your seats around a table, joining the people already there.

The woman who greeted you sits at the head of the table, and introduces herself. “My name is Esme Hao. As I am sure you already know, I am the mayor of this city. Today we are joined by Captain Sean Ivell, Senator Romeo Holden, and a representative from the federal government, Agatha Woodmantle. Agatha has also been accompanied by two members of the national guard, Ahmed Zassir and As Cordela. Welcome.”

Asgore inclines his head with a gracious smile from where he sits. He does not rise, but calmly introduces the three of them.

“I am Asgore Dreemur, King of Monsters. Accompanying me today are Frisk Dreemur, the human Ambassador, and Star Hewett, our newest human representative and communications consul.”

Mayor Hao frowns when she hears your name, likely expecting to hear your given name rather than your preferred one. However, she does not comment, and you breathe a sigh of relief.

The mayor slides some pages across the table. You glance over them as Asgore accepts them, and see mostly jargon about housing information, costs, and the like. You look up towards the mayor once more as she speaks.

“It is my understanding that you are here today to seek housing for the residents of your population,” the mayor says. She speaking clearly and carefully, evaluating every single word inside her mind before voicing them. Star can’t tell if she’s doing so out of sensitivity or false kindness.

Asgore nods gently. “That is correct,” he says. “As of now, all of my subjects are residing in small tents with few furniture, lighting, or other amenities. I am especially concerned for when your colder seasons will come, as we have no source of heat.”

The mayor nods. “I will be blunt with you,” she says. “We do not have enough space in the city to house all of you. If you wish, we can work with you to develop a construction plan for apartments, but be warned that these developments will not come cheap.”

Asgore sighs. “I was prepared for this possibility,” he says. “Your department of currency is still in the process of deciding the conversion rate for our gp.”

The mayor hums thoughtfully. “Until such a consensus can be reached, and we can be ensured that you have enough resources to pay for this project, I’m afraid we will not be able to help you.”

Your eyes widen and you take a sharp inhale. Your face flushes as eyes turn to you. The mayor tilts her head curiously.

“Is something wrong?” she asks.

Your hands are shaking underneath the table, but you do your best to clear your throat.

“How long will that take?” you question, voice cracking slightly. You wince.

“I’m afraid that I simply don’t know.”

Emboldened, you continue to press her. “So you’ll just let everyone live as they are now? With flimsy tents protecting them from nothing? They barely have access to food and clothing as it is, they need structure. They need a starting point from which to base themselves from. What if the decision about money isn’t made until winter?”

Mayor Hao blinks, startled by your questioning. Your voice only grows more urgent as you speak.

“Miss Hewett,” Captain Ivell speaks, but you’ve already begun again.

“Can’t we take out some sort of government loan? To help us get started?”

“There is no guarantee that they will be able to pay it back, without knowing the conversion rate,” Mayor Hao responds, troubled.

“Monsters have capable bodies and minds, they can work human jobs,” you press. “Even if we don’t have enough to pay you back right away, we’ll make more. Isn’t that what loans are for?”

Mayor Hao purses her lips together, and you suspect that she’s attempting to conceal a smile. She stands from her seat, Asgore following behind. Startled, you rise as well.

“You make a good case,” Mayor Hao says, “and I am not an unreasonable woman. We will discuss our options and let you know of our decision promptly. Thank you for your time today.”

The three of you recognize that as your cue to leave and stand. As you turn, you see Frisk beaming at you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Toriel sighs and folds her apron as the morning breakfast rush finally begins slowing down. She looks over to where Undyne, Alphys, Papyrus, and Sans are standing, slowly working their way through the tables collecting trash and dirty utensils. Her mind unwillingly shifts to Asgore. He’d mentioned that he had arranged a meeting with the mayor of the city, and that he planned to bring Frisk and Star along. Toriel shakes her head wearily and moves to turn the sinks on. She’ll wash the dishes in between morning and lunch - though hopefully, the second and third meals of the day will have smaller turnouts, as more people will eat at Grillby’s.
> 
> As Toriel preps the tubs for washing, she hears the soft pad of footsteps behind her. She turns, surprised to see Alphys nervously twisting her fingers.
> 
> “Alphys, my dear, how can I help you?” Toriel asks. Alphys clears her throat. It takes her a few tries to get the words out.
> 
> “I n-need a favor,” she says.
> 
> ~ This chapter is a little shorter because I decided to split it in half. I'm not sure when the second half will be up. So sorry for slow updates - but I'm grateful for those of you who are sticking with me and Star!

**Author's Note:**

> Heya, author here. Just gonna let you know to comment or smth if you like this so far! No, Sans is not introduced yet and no, he probably will not be for a while. This is a slow burn, baby. Also in future chapters maybe check the notes because sometimes I might put extra content in here from the perspective of other characters :)  
> Thanks!


End file.
